


alone/together

by orphan_account



Category: Free!
Genre: Anal Sex, Angst and Porn, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety, Begging, Biting, Dirty Talk, Established Relationship, Eventual Fluff, Explicit Consent, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I wrote this instead of homework, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Licking, M/M, Muscles, My First Smut, Not Beta Read, Now Edited, Other, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Porn with Feelings, Possessive Matsuoka Rin, Praise Kink, Projection, Reader is gender-neutral but has male parts, Shower Sex, Simultaneous Orgasm, Thighs, Vaguely Canon-compliant, Wall Sex, Wish Fulfillment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-20
Updated: 2018-10-20
Packaged: 2019-08-04 17:00:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16350599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: !!!EDITED!!!Sydney University student ______ had a rough day.  Their boyfriend Rin always knows how to make them feel better.





	alone/together

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ushirinaki](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Ushirinaki).



> The first version of this thing was posted hot off the press at 2:00 A.M., riddled with typos and lines I didn't think through. So here it is again, edited and with an all-new ending!
> 
> Disclaimer: I am not promoting the idea that a sexual partner is a cure for anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem.

The fluorescent lights were too bright.  The tiled floor was cold and you didn’t even want to think about what it had seen, but it was better than too-warm and twisted bedsheets, the stark lights preferable to suffocating darkness.  Maybe they could drive the darkness out of your head.

You hadn’t been able to sleep.  It wasn’t your roommate’s snores; you were in your second year of college, which was plenty of time to get used to that.  The events of the day kept swirling about your head and tormenting you like dark spirits. Handing in that rushed research paper at the last possible moment, knowing you would be lucky to get a passing grade.  Accidentally spilling hydrochloric acid on your notes and your lab partner’s hand. Overhearing one too many nasty “edgy” jokes on campus.

You shouldn’t let these things get to you, but get to you they did.   _ Everyone’s going to hate me _ , the voice in your head kept you awake by saying.   _ You’re a screwup… a failure… everyone picked up on your discomfort and is going to target you _ …  You couldn’t stay in that room any longer.  The dorm bathroom was the only other private place you could think of to go.

It felt like an eternity ago that you had texted Rin.   _I feel like a waste of a person_ , you had said.  It had only been five hours.

_ Rin _ .

What did you do to deserve him?  What did the rising star of the swim team see in an environmental science major who wanted to cry and hide whenever anyone so much as raised their voice?  He could have had anyone he wanted. Most of the girls and at least half the guys he passed on campus were left staring and blushing after his godlike build and radiating charisma.  And yet, for the past year and a half, you were the one who got to see his hidden sides, to retaliate with terrible shark puns whenever he sent you a corny romantic quote, to comfort him when he had his own bouts of depression, to be held in those arms against his slow, strong heartbeat.

_ Rin would hate you if he knew how much of a screwup you really were _ .

Had you been back in your room, the thought would have incited another round of tears to suppress, because the last thing you needed was your roommate having to deal with you, but now you just felt numb.  The invasive thought created not a ripple, but a wave.

The automated lights shut off and you were alone in the dark again.  It barely registered.

You heard footsteps approaching.  The lights brightened again. A voice.

“______?”

It couldn’t be.  Why would he be up so late? And why would he be here?  Couldn’t he sense the failure radiating from this shower stall?

“Rin?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I thought I might find you here,” he said, softly.  “I saw your text.” You can only stare. Even in this fluorescent lighting, wearing only a loose black tank top and gray sweats, his burgundy hair mussed from sleep, he looked impossibly beautiful, his ruby eyes tender.  You glanced over at him, but any words you might have had died in your throat. Rin hesitated and softly asked, “Can I come in?” You wanted nothing in the entire world more. You nodded.

Rin approached slowly and crouched in the entrance of the shower stall.  “You can talk to me, ______. What’s wrong?” You made eye contact with him to reply, but the words wouldn’t form.  He made a soft noise of understanding and reached out to cover your hand with his. The tightness in your chest decreased with the familiar warmth.  You mustered the word “thanks” as he started caressing the side of your hand with his thumb. Rin scooted closer so you can lean into each other.

“Can you tell me what’s wrong?” Rin asked.  “I saw your text and… I was worried.”

Feeling his warmth so close to you, his low soft voice humming in his chest, broke your wall.  You told him everything that happened, how everything that day just worked together to wear you down, spilling a flood of words and tears.  You didn’t even know if he could have understood a word you were saying, but the next thing you knew a pair of strong arms were locked around you and your face was buried between Rin’s neck and shoulder.  “Oh, ______-kun. It’s okay. It was just a bad day. It’s okay. I’m here.” You held each other so tightly you couldn’t imagine ever letting go, the tips of his fingers gently stroking your lower back.

But let go the two of you did.  Rin cradled your face in his cupped hands.  “Everyone has bad days. Accidents happen. You’re not a failure – I don’t know how you could think that.”

You pushed his arm away.  “I don’t know how _ you _ could think that.  How you could even-”

“Love me?” And goddammit if your heart didn’t melt a little underneath its baggage at the sound of that word from his lips.  You could only nod.

After a brief pause, you ask him the question that no college course could answer.  “...Look at you. You could have anyone you want on campus – no, in all of Sydney. Why would you settle for a nobody like me?  I’m just an ordinary person, and you’re… a star.”

“You’re right,” said Rin, and that accursed part of your brain thought for a second that your worst fears had come true.  “I could have anyone I want. And I do. I chose you, out of everyone on campus – no, I chose you, out of everyone in Sydney.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“ _ Rin _ …” you gasped.  Your cheeks warmed and your heart stuttered.

Your wonderful boyfriend continued, “You’re not nobody.  Don’t be so hard on yourself. Believe me, I know the feeling.”  He took your hand in his again. “I don’t know what you see when you look at yourself, but I see a determined, sweet, caring, sensitive, loyal friend… who looks really cute in nothing but my shirt,” he added, with that devilish grin of his.

“ _ Rin _ …” you said again, blushing on two levels now.  “That was one time!”

“Which is a shame~”

“You shouldn’t have come here if you were just going to kill me!  Is this really the right time for that?!”

“I’m sorry.”  Rin’s face softened again.  “That wasn’t appropriate, I was just trying to…” He flushed. “You’re worried that I don’t really love you, aren’t you?”

You sullenly hid your face again.

“Bingo, huh…” he said, to himself as much as to you.  “Well-” An edge of heat entered his voice as he drew even closer to you.  “I can show you just how wrong you are, right here, right now.”

“Really?” you replied.  “How?”

Rin softly purred, “Like this,” and you knew how obvious the answer was even before his lips met yours.

This wasn’t the first or even the twentieth time you had kissed, but you were always surprised at how soft Rin’s lips were.  And they were warm, so warm in the cool air. You returned the kiss as gently as he was giving it. The hand holding yours moved up to your cheek again, while the other went to the back of your head and threaded fingers through your [texture] hair.  You sighed at the sensation and caressed your boyfriend’s finely carved jawline before stroking his high cheekbone with your thumb. Everything felt soft and warm and so very right, so very much what you needed.

Rin nipped at your bottom lip, the pinpoints of pain and pleasure sending a light shiver through your nerves, asking permission.  You eagerly granted it, deepening the kiss, greeting him with your own tongue. You could feel his heartbeat against your chest, and you didn’t doubt that he could feels yours as well.

He was so  _ warm _ .  Your hand found its way to the hem of his tank top and slipped under to caress his back – steel-corded muscles under soft, warm skin.  Rin shivered under your touch and a faint fluttering sound escaped into your mouth. This was becoming dangerous. You pulled away.

The two of you rested your foreheads together, eyes closed, just feeling for a moment.  When your eyes opened and met, the scarlet pools you met erased any doubts you’d had. “Did I convince you, my love?” Rin purred.

“You’ve made your point well enough,” you reply, “but I think you could elaborate.”

“That won’t be a problem at all,” Rin said in a low growl.  The same dangerous light that gleamed in his eyes seemed to dance upon his hungry grin.

The hand on the back of your head pulled you even closer as he kissed you with a newfound ferocity, while the one on your cheek was suddenly under your oversized sleep shirt, up and down your own [body type] form.  You moaned as he devoured you with teeth and tongue, a familiar heat beginning to glow deep in your abdomen. Before you knew it, your upper bodies had pressed together, seeking more heat and contact. His hand was on your lower back and your legs wrapped around his lean torso.  

Rin broke off the kiss as suddenly as he had escalated it.  You whimpered “Rin-” at the loss of contact before feeling him nudge insistently at a spot below your kiss-reddened lips.  You obliged him, leaning back against the wall of the stall, as that wet heat settled anew on your neck. The blend of sharp pain and hot pleasure as he attacked the spots he knew to be your favorites was intoxicating, but that worrying part of your mind could not be silenced.  “Rin… Rin, don’t…  _ ahh _ …”

Instantly the attacking shark was replaced with the worried boyfriend who had first entered the room.  “What’s wrong? Did I hurt you?”

“Don’t… don’t leave a mark where anybody could see,” you panted.

Rin’s face fell.  “Is it because-”

“You… you leave… distinctive… marks,” you faltered.  “Your team…”

“Shit,” he hissed.  Nobody on the swim team knew that Rin had a boyfriend.  His coach and at least three of his teammates would not be supportive, to say the least, if word got out.  And since word travels fast among college students with social networks, you had had to keep your relationship a secret to all but yourselves and a few close friends.  “Maybe we should just stop,” he said. 

“No…” you said softly, and then more firmly, “No.  I needed this. And I think you do too.” You traced a line between his buff pectorals with your finger.  “You’re tense. And-” It dawned on you. “Who knows when we’re going to get a chance like this again? We’re in private, we don’t have to be anywhere for hours, and we could… clean up easily.”  You averted your eyes at this last addition.

“I like the way you think, ______-kun.”  Rin chuckled and pressed a soft kiss to your forehead.  But instead of resuming his assault on your neck, he stood up and stretched, lifting his toned arms above his head.

“What are you doing?” you asked, your eyes – less subtly than you hoped – on the flash of skin briefly revealed by the tank top lifting.

“My legs are getting cramped.  This stall isn’t wide enough, and I don’t think either of us want to lay down on that floor, so we’re gonna have to do this standing up.”  Your fading flush returned in full force with how  _ forward  _ he was, saying in no uncertain terms that you were going to  _ have sex _ like it was no big deal.  Rin extended his hand. “Are you sure you want to, ______-kun?”

You took a deep breath.  “Yes. I’m sure. I… I want you… Rin.”  You took his hand, Rin pulling you up and into that embrace again.

“Good,” Rin purred, his hot breath on your ear.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You tipped his face downward and the two of you eagerly collided again with new purpose.  Rin seized the hem of your shirt and gently lifted it as his tongue hungrily clashed with yours.  “I want… to feel you…” he panted between kisses. You let him take advantage of the brief parting to lift your shirt over your head, hastily flinging it onto the plastic shower bench.

Rin drank the sight of you in, an appreciative grin – god, you were weak for that grin – on his reddened face.  The look of a shark that couldn’t be more pleased with its choice of prey.

You personally had no idea what Rin found so attractive about your body, but he evidently liked it enough to pin you to the wall with one arm, the other caressing your bare skin.  “Your turn,” Rin growled. “I know you’ve been looking. I know you want to feel me, too.”

You pushed up his black tank top, enjoying the hard ridges of muscle your skin brushed against.  Rin took it into his own hand and slowly peeled it off, exposing V-line, abs, pectorals. You wanted to savor this sight, and he knew it.  Finally his fine face reappeared, a deep red cascade falling back into place around it.

A perfect vision stood before you – muscles firmly defined and smooth, eyes hooded and gleaming.  You wanted to commit every detail, sight, sound, feel, to memory with your hands and mouth, and let him know that.

“Really?  I think I would like that too.  Very much. Soooo sadly for you, all I can do is  _ this _ .” Rin stepped forward, trapping your body between his and the cool wall and - you gasped - pressing his knee between your thighs. 

“What will you do?” you teased, meeting his eyes.  “Show me a sight I’ve never seen before?” 

“Oh, but you  _ have  _ seen it before,” said Rin.  “Twice, actually. Don’t you remember what you did for my birthday?”  His voice was silk dripping wet with sin. “How you took me in your mouth and kissed all over my thighs?”  You remembered, so very well. “You were so good for me then.” 

_ Ahh. _  You felt a definite tightness, now, with those words.  His tone, sweet dark honey, a perfect echo of that day.  “I remember,” you panted, and then, almost reflexively, added, “Only for you.”

“And our anniversary?  Don’t you remember being bent over the bed as I gave you everything I had?” He normally had only the faintest trace of an accent, but it tended to come back in moments like this.

You had made it no secret that you found it hot.

“I definitely…  _ hhh…  _ remember that.”  Your body remembered, too, remembered him pounding into you, relentless with the primal urge to make you his.  Remembered the sweetness and the pain.

_ Will he notice will he notice will he notice _ ran on a loop in whatever part of your brain was left as your arousal increased.  Rin grinned against your mouth. His thigh pressed harder between your legs, causing you to involuntarily jerk your hips with a whimper, seeking friction.

He definitely noticed.

Rin pressed himself closer to you and rolled his hips in a sensual, deliberate tease, making absolutely sure you could feel his own burgeoning hardness.  A moan escaped you. Your hand flew out and down to squeeze his firm, round ass cheek, signaling your growing impatience.

“So eager…” He was driving you crazy and knew it.  “These will have to go,” he said, hooking his fingers over the hem of your sweats.  You were all for it, but not just yet. Soon, but not yet. Rin was doing so much for you, but you had hardly done a thing for him thus far.  And you knew exactly how to give him some much-needed attention.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rin made a slightly frustrated noise as you knelt down in front of him, followed by a satisfied hum as you pushed down a corner of his own sweats and kissed the exposed skin.  Slowly you worked his pants down over his hips, trailing soft kisses as you went, revealing black boxer briefs with subtle red trim… and an increasingly less subtle arousal beneath.  You couldn’t hold back a grin as you lightly pressed your hand over it. Rin hissed and visibly held his hips back from rutting into your palm as you began to caress his thigh with your free hand.

You couldn’t possibly pick a favorite part of Rin, but his thighs would be a strong contender should you ever have to.  Those thick, muscular thighs had occupied your mind on many a lonely night. You were sure you could get off just by grinding against those pale, firm-

“Oi,” a frustrated voice interrupted.  “Stop teasing, will you?”

_ But that wouldn’t be as fulfilling, would it? _  You apologized softly and pulled a corner of your boyfriend’s underwear down over his hip bone, pressing a kiss to the exposed skin.  A sigh escaped Rin, surprisingly soft and sweet. His fingers – unintentionally? – twined back into your hair. You repeated the process and then slowly, reverently, pulled them the rest of the way down.  You were the only one who knew that those rumors about Rin were true, the lengths he went to to minimize water resistance. He was shaved everywhere. Perfectly smooth, as if he had prepared for this encounter.  The waistband slid down another inch, and then it caught, and then… There was Rin’s cock, red, hungry, and waiting.

 

You couldn’t help yourself but continue to worship the area surrounding it, teasing the soft sensitive skin further with lips and tongue and occasionally teeth.  That part of you that so rarely made itself known wanted to take him in your mouth again, to taste him and to drive him mad until he lost all composure and reduce him to begging you for release.  But not tonight.  _ He _ was the one who wanted to make  _ you  _ feel good.

“Get up, ______-kun,” Rin panted between little whimpers and gasps.  “If you keep -  _ hh! _ \- this up I’m going to - _ mmm _ \- lose it…”

He had a point.  As much as you were enjoying this, your own body was crying out for reciprocation.  You got to your feet and Rin tore your own pants down, throwing them aside and shoving you against the wall again.  You heard a thud as Rin’s hand struck something on the wall perpendicular to yours. The next instant, cold water rained down upon the two of you.

Of all the sounds you and Rin made that night, none was less dignified than the shocked yelp that echoed off the tiled walls.  Which of you made it, neither of you could say. You stared at each other awkwardly, head tilted and eyes wide, before Rin laughed.  “I think this could be fun, don’t you?” He turned away, just for a second, but a whimper escaped you at the loss of his familiar warmth.  It was worth it, though; the spray temperature rose to a comfortable level, and you got a brief but beautiful view of his ridged back muscles.

“Sorry about that,” Rin hummed.  His arms wrapped back around you, pressing your bodies together.  “Where were we?” You didn’t hesitate to answer him by rolling your hips, your erect member making contact with his.  It twitched eagerly, and the two of you began attacking each other in earnest. Your lengths slid wetly against each other as you panted and moaned and caressed each others’ shower-slick bodies and kissed anything you could reach.

Rin grabbed one of your pebbled nipples and the jolt of pleasure, combined with your desperate cocks meeting just right, made your knees give out.  Rin must have anticipated this, though, for he scooped you up and let you wrap your legs around his body again. It was different this time, from when you had just started.  You felt… exposed.

“______,” said Rin, his tongue thickened with arousal.  God, you loved what his accent did to your name when he was like this.  “Do you want it? Do you want this cock? I could give it to you  _ right here, right now _ .”

“Please,” you gasped.

“What do you want?”  His hand roamed, down your side to caress your inner thigh.  The tip of his wet finger slid across your perineum before finding what it was looking for.

“Y- your cock… _ ah _ , Rin…”

“Good~”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rin didn’t stop talking as he gently probed and prepared your hole, filthy inquiries and entreaties pouring from his fanged mouth and washing over you like a river of sin.  You could only drown in them, moaning as one finger and then two brushed dangerously close to  _ that  _ spot.  By the time Rin had added a third finger, the sweet burn of the stretch sent sparks down every last nerve, setting every inch of your skin on fire.

Your boyfriend abruptly withdrew his hand and adjusted his hold on you, shifting you down a bit, pushing your hips a little inward.  The stretched edge of your entrance brushed against his heated tip. “Are you ready to take it?” he dared, his hot breath ghosting over your damp neck.  “Are you ready to take my cock into your tight hole? Do you want me to pound you into this wall until you’re screaming?”

“ _ Yes.  DO IT _ .  I  _ need _ it.”

“Do what?  What do you need?”

“I need your cock, n _ ahnnnnnn-”  _ Your word fell apart into a gasp as Rin finally, finally pushed inward.  He moved slowly, taking care not to lose himself to the feral fervor and risk hurting you, his body shaking with the effort of staying in control as your hot wet walls closed around him.  Once Rin had ceased to advance, you felt him caress your cheek again. You opened the [e/c] eyes that had been screwed shut to meet his. The pupils were blown wide with lust so that only a sliver of red was visible, like the halo of sunlight during a total eclipse.  But something else was blended, entwined like your own bodies, with that lust.

“ _ Aishiteru _ … ______,” Rin said, so softly, and tilted his head down.  You rose to meet him in a passionate kiss, and then he began to move.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At first you made love slowly, or at least tried.  You matched the rhythm of his initial experimental thrusts with rolls of your own pelvis.  “______-kun…” Rin moaned. “You’re tight… so tight for me… so good…” God, that praise. That gave you as much pleasure as the slide of skin on skin did.  You had had too much teasing, too much buildup. You  _ needed  _ more, both of you did, so you squirmed and sank down further onto Rin’s cock.

Rin gasped and pushed harder into you, pressing you against the wall until he was fully sheathed inside you.  The heat of him inside of you was incredible. You felt so full of him, and so  _ connected _ , feeling his heartbeat against your chest and within your walls, his heavy breathing, his muscles.  “ _ Aishiteru,” _ he said again, and  _ thrust _ .

A cry tore from your chest and sang to the heavens.

The two of you quickly established a rhythm, pushing and pulling like ocean waves, in and out, your cock finding friction against the flat zone beneath your lover’s abs.  “I want to mark you,” panted Rin, trying to maintain his composure. “I want to hear you cry out with pain and pleasure as my teeth mark your skin. I want to show the whole world that you’re  _ mine _ .  But I can’t.  Not now.”

Yet his face approached your neck anyway.  Without a word, you bared it for him, still hoping to feel his teeth claim you.  Instead, you felt something smooth and slick and wet run up from your collarbone up to your hairline.  Rin licked you again, just your face this time, and then the middle of your neck. Fluttering moans escaped you with each stroke of his hot tongue, and then beads of precum.  “You like that?” Rin growled. His face was flushed, especially along his high cheekbones, and his hair was wet and messy. Eagerly, you leaned forward to return the favor, your own tongue gliding over his smooth skin.  This shift in position, however slight, changed everything. On Rin’s next thrust into you, his cock found your prostate.

“ _ Rin!!!” _ you cried out, seeing stars.  “Yes… there… do that again,  _ please _ …”

Rin obliged, causing you to howl again, wordlessly this time.  “Look at you,” he crooned. “You’re such a little slut for me, begging for it, begging for my cock.”  Hitting you there again, he continued, voice roughening, “I’m the only one who gets to see you like this.  You’re so good, just for me, only for me.”

“Only for you,” you echoed.

“Yeah, you love it when I talk like this, don’t you?  You’re mine.”

“I’m yours.”

Your sex was wild now, reckless, more intense than you ever could have imagined.  Was it the water falling on you, making your skin glide so smoothly? At least some of that was your precum, running freely now.  Something inside you was tightening. Every one of Rin’s thrusts was disturbing volatile material, making your body twitch. “Rin… I’m so close…”

Your lover’s cock twitched within you. .

“Me- me too…”  His movements grew stronger as whatever remained of his composure fell away.  He growled and panted like a wild beast in heat, clawing at your back, losing his composure.  You didn’t know where you ended and he began. The force of him, the sheer overwhelming presence of him, was too much for you.  All your senses, all you were aware of, all that was in your head was screaming Rin, Rin, _ Rin, RIN _ -

_ “RIN!!! _ ”

A hot sweet explosion of ecstasy seized your groin and suffused your every nerve ending as you came.  Your nails dug into his shoulders as you rode it out, as you came apart around him with a cry of his name.  The next instant, Rin seized you and sunk his teeth into your shoulder, shuddering, to muffle the sound of his own orgasm.  Gouts of hot seed spurted into you as your own painted his flushed lower belly.

It could have been forever or no time at all that you held onto each other, eyes closed, feeling your bodies slowly relax, your heartbeats synch, the rush soften and fade.  The only sound was your and your partner’s heavy breathing. At last you could hold onto him no longer, and fell to your weak and shaky legs. You sighed and nuzzled his neck, bumping his lips with your own.  Rin answered you with another kiss, soft this time, the burning desire quenched and tender new growth blooming in its place. Again you returned it, every sensation amplified. Only after breaking apart did you finally open your eyes and regard your lover.

The two of you simply watched each others’ faces for a moment, basking in the moment and the haze of happiness that settled over you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rin was the first to speak, or try to.  “______-”

“You were amazing.”  You reach up and tuck a piece of maroon hair behind his ear.  “I… I don’t know what to say.”

“Did I prove it to you?”

“Hmm?”

“You wanted to be sure that I really love you,” said Rin.  “I wanted to show it to you. Did I? You sure showed it to me,” he added.  Few would think the Shark of Sydney to be capable of modesty, but he shyly rubbed the back of his neck and briefly averted his eyes.

You reached out for his hand.  “Absolutely. What did I do to deserve you?”

“What did  _ I _ do to deserve  _ you _ ?”  Rin lifted his hand to take yours, but paused and fixed his gaze upon the juncture between your neck and shoulder.  “Oh, shit,” he cursed softly. “I’m so sorry, ______. I didn’t mean to… I just lost contr-” He gave up on his sentence and stroked the reddened bite mark with his thumb.  It felt like a bruise, and you knew from the last time that it would be sore for a day or two.

“I don’t mind,” you reassured him.  “Nobody will know it’s there except the two of us.”  Rin smiled wordlessly and pressed a featherlight kiss to it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Then you saw the handle of the shower, still running.  The water was growing cold. “...We should go back.”

“Hmm?  Oh, right… I suppose we should.”

You pulled your clothes back on, not feeling fully up to it.  You wanted more than anything to be in bed with Rin, falling asleep as you were, skin to soft warm skin, held in his strong but gentle embrace.  You wanted Rin to keep you safe, you wanted the two of you to stay in your own little world of your creation. But that just couldn’t happen. If anyone saw you exiting the popular swimmer’s room in the morning – although you supposed it already was the morning – rumors would fly.

A few minutes later, you stood at the entrance to the bathroom fighting the wave of exhaustion that just washed over you.  “I guess this is where I leave you,” said Rin sadly. “How are you feeling?”

You gave him the best smile you could muster.  “Tired. And sore. But better.”

Rin smiled back, practically lighting up the corridor.  “I’m glad.” He didn’t have to say anything more on the subject.  “See you, ______-kun.”

“See you, Rin.  Whenever.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The regular buzz and annoyingly positive chirrup that were your phone alarm woke you as usual.  You felt utterly dead, even more so than most mornings. As you sat up, however, you immediately became wide awake as a sharp ache bloomed below the base of your spine.  You hissed between clenched teeth as it all came flooding back to you. If not for that pain, you would have written the events of the previous night off as an amazingly vivid wet dream.

After shutting off your alarm, you saw a string of text alerts over the course of a few minutes that started at 5:03 A.M.

**Rin <3: ** Good morning, babe

**Rin <3: ** Missed u, though…

**Rin <3: ** _ [picture of a vacant half of his bed] _

**Rin <3: ** Just leaving this here for u:

**Rin <3: ** U got this

**Rin <3: ** I know u can do it

**Rin <3: ** Today will be better

**Rin <3: ** Never forget that I’m here for you.

**Rin <3: ** I love you.

You texted back, “ _ same _ ” and then “ _ Love you too _ ,” and got out of bed.  Today was a new day, as was the next, and the next, and the next, and you wanted to spend every last one of them with Rin.  Alas, it could not be –  _ yet _ , said some tiny foolish romantic part of your mind – but at least you knew you were never alone.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this hopefully-less-of-a-hot-mess! Feedback is appreciated!


End file.
